Civic Engagement Coordinator–Napa, RWC, SF Offices
The Civic Engagement Coordinator supports IIBA’s mission by conducting community education and outreach to immigrant communities with a focus on voter registration and education, and education on Census.
IIBA Clients: Maria and Roberto
In 2014, Maria and Roberto finally arrived in the Bay Area to live with family after waiting sixteen years in El Salvador for their green cards to be approved. Maria and Roberto, who have been married for 41 years, came to the United States for safety and opportunity.
IIBA Clients: Jaime and Yolanda
In the late 1980s, Jamie fled El Salvador during the country’s devastating civil war, seeking safety in the United States. Around the same time, Yolanda came to the U.S. from Mexico. They first met in an English as a Second Language (ESL) class here in the Bay Area, nearly 30 years ago. They fell in love, got married, and had a baby girl.
Path to Citizenship – IIBA’s RWC Citizenship Workshop
As the result of the support from more than 20 dedicated volunteers, 25 individuals from 10 different countries are now on the path to citizenship after attending IIBA's Redwood City Citizenship Workshop.
This is what immigration means for America.
Imagine the United States is the only country you have ever known, but daily you fear you might be forced to leave. Imagine living with that insecurity, yet still moving forward in full pursuit of your dreams, determined to make a difference.
Seeking Refuge in the United States, a Family Reunites in the Bay Area
Fleeing violence and poverty in her rural town in Guatemala, Santos came to the United States in search of a better life for her family.In Oakland, California, Santos sought the help of the Immigration Institute of the Bay Area (IIBA). IIBA’s Legal Staff helped her apply for humanitarian relief, and she was granted a U Visa due to the abuse she had endured at the hands of her ex-partner.
Long-time Napa resident achieves dream of citizenship
Octavio came to the United States from Mexico in his early twenties, in search of opportunity. For nearly thirty years, he has built a life for himself and his family in Napa, where he works for Duckhorn Vineyards.
Staff Spotlight, IIBA’s New Legal Director, Catherine Seitz
One of Catherine’s first jobs in immigration was at the International Institute in 1991. Now with nearly thirty years of experience in immigration law, she’s returned to IIBA as Legal Director, mentoring IIBA staff as they take on deportation defense cases.
Keeping Families Together
Graciela and her two young daughters, Julianna, 12 and Bethenny, 6, waited anxiously at San Jose Airport in August 2017. Efrain, Graciela’s husband and the daughters’ father, had left the country a week earlier to complete his interview at the U.S. Consulate in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, to become a U.S. permanent resident.
IIBA Clients: Vanessa and Diego
Vanessa and Diego have always seen themselves as Americans. They were both brought to the U.S. from Mexico when they were very young. They grew up here. They went to school here. They met each other and fell in love here. They got married here, and they had their children here, Diego Jr., 6, and Carlos, 3.